Water service fixture



June 10, 1952 5, B 2,600,187

WATER SERVICE FIXTURE Filed April 11, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET l "in 720m 1%??226 June 10, 1952 T. E. BART WATER SERVICE FIXTURE 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed April 11, 1947 I I l I I l l l l I l I 1 I INVENTOR. YZomdS. EBaz I atente(i June 10, 1952 Tlitinifs Ei Bart; Cincinnati, obit, a signt'r t i e- Murdock'Mfg'. &vS pply Col, Cincinnati; Ohio;-

af eorporatitn of Ohio Application- A pril --1-1;-1947,iseria1 NoL7463i? 2 claims? (01. rai -42f 1 The present invention relates-toe wateriservf ice fixture incorporatinglan inipro /ed. construction providing maximum protection against freezingin various climates, and against boliution by.

ba-ck-siphonage and crossconnection between" the potable water supply and 'al-l extraneous sources of-wa-ste or filth. v 7 Y 7 An object of. the invention is to provide a iii:- ture designed especially to overcome an objec} tions and meet all requirenients' of public health bureaus charged with the responsibilityof protestingv .th'e public-health agains't'da'riger resulting from pollution of potable water distribution 'systems. r

Anothenobj'ect' is to provide a water service fixture which is anti-'fre'ez'ingiTarid pollutionproof, notwithstandingFthe; presen'cebf' a length iyingon the ground or platform sur'rtiiin iinathe Another object is to preclude back-siphonag'e standing severefi'sage'jafid ab us in "service. V I Another object of the invention is toprovide for vibratory. movement or a part within the-fixture;

to ove'reome any fr'eez'ingtendency'. A further objectis tdadaiot the fixture to emcient'usein-various eli'rnate'sfibymeans of a simpi 1 part replacement Fig. 1 is. a. fragfifieiiifaTeliatidiial irietiffpaitw'' pipe is connected to a F195 is an elevatioii'ai' viefiof a snibbt or ball to be" substitutedfor the roughenedhp e or ball Shown in' Fig; 4, m adafitiiigf the fiictiiifii different climatic conditior 's; 4 v

Fig. G'is'an elevational View bfan'other ty p of sphere orbau employed? 7 V V To ensure potable water "service'fiiituresag'aihst baok-siphona'ge'an'd' other poilution' 'indu'ciri ac; tion; and against" frezm'g'at' 10W temprt has'he'retofo're'beeri 'afvexatious jpr engaged in the business off'pr bvi 1n tribution systems"forficertam 'loaiitisf ii'ci'f'a in ra'iiro'a'd' yards andbthei ceiitrs' offa' vit where the surroufiemg's' are not particul" 1y sah'ita'ryf The" mostl'efiective' known sofution a" the problem mentioned hasbe efidisl'osed'iri p p rt:- The devise" r Said. pending appliafiioifis equally-2S fi ett its flihtibhs of avdidifigfreiingfan d bdilufi as the device dis'lb'sedfhifeihf The il'ist aiii fi d vice, however; includes refin'nintsand magmaments which enhance theffiitureif'othi.rei spects; such as its adaptabilitjitofiiarious'cliniates with" greater convenience of "usage: and greater co'riserv'ationofwater 'us'ed'ihidnt -to 6pera ri of" the" device} as "Well as --other"imiiroveifien ts to? be disclosed hereinafterf V Referring to' Fig," 1, the hyii'rant' head is in" cated at" 6; 'and 1 nidicates the"-fresh Watefsu plypipehonveying potable water froifi amaih'af thepublicWalterdistiiblitidfiystfh Th'su" p v H v valve 8,"whichinai -bef-of' any suitabletype." The vaive 's'hb-Wn'is of thelf general type disclosed in w the" patent 'of 5' Nord'strom, no; 1,781,821; datedNovemb'er 1s;

193$. l fIhe man'y adv-amagemf sucha vaii/e are specified in the patent aforesaidfarid in tam other patents 0f the sarne inventor-: Theira lue 21 alternatively may 'be of the typeshown 'in a other of my co-pending applications; "=seria 1. NO? 69%,601; entitIed' -Wate'r Service' Fi-Xturef arid Briefly. stated,;;the va1ve shown in -Figfi1 -com-' prises a' bogiy} and an operating tubeorgstem IB, the upper end I2 013' which .is squared to receive a wrench hyh'vlfiich" th e'valire plug. may -be turnq'm epen'ar" closethe'ir'al've, it being under-; stood thatth'e' lower end bfthe'tube or'stem I0 is suitably secured'toa. valve plug encased within the waive had? 9 to'insure its opening and F0165- in}; updif'rotationfbfthesquared end I2. The

seems grease forced under pressure through a central tube l3, by means of a threaded member I4, which upon being screwed down, forces the said grease into lubricating grooves of the valve plug. The head I5 of the member l4 may be squared to receive a wrench for turning said member as lubrication is required. The valve plug is held in its seat by means of a bonnet IS. A protective casing I1 is provided, which may be of any desired length, the upper end l8 of which may extend above ground level, and the lower end of which may be secured to a homing H by means of a screw 20. A protective hood or bafile 22 may be provided for the purpose of substantially preeluding entry of water, dirt, or other extraneous matter into the casing 11 and housin l9. It is to be understood. of course, that the valve 9 is disposed underground, below the frost line, the ground level being indicated at 21.

Into the outlet port of the valveB is threaded a connecting pipe 23 whereby water passing through the valve is conveyed to the constricted nozzle 25 of an ejector. The ejector may be of any acceptable type, the example illustrated comprising a body 24 internally bored and threaded as at 26 and 21 to retain the base of the nozzle 25 and the threaded end of the pipe fitting 28 respectively. The head of the ejector, indicated at 29, may threadedly engage the body at 30, and will be properly shaped interiorly to assist the nozzle in performing the desired ejector action. By means of a suitable coupling 3 I, or otherwise, the discharge port of the ejector head may be connected to an upright pipe section 32 to be hereinafter referred to as the riser. The upper end of the riser carries the hydrant head 6, through which water from the riser may be discharged, the discharge end 33 of the head being threaded to receive any suitable time of quickacting hose coupling 35, shown in Fig. 2, to which a flexible hose 36 may be attached. Under certain circumstances, however, it may be desirable to affix a pipe or conduit to the head 6, in place of the hose coupling device 35.

It will be noted that the body of the ejector has an auxiliary port 31 through which may gravitate any water remaining in the riser 32 upon closing the valve 8. By means of the elbows 38 and an intermediate length of pipe 39, water from the riser is conveyed to a suitable tank or reservoir 40 which is tightly capped at its opposite ends so as to avoid all possibility of passage of fiuid either into or from the reservoir, except through the port 4| thereof. Port 4! preferably is located at the lowest possible point of the tank interior, so that the ejector action which occurs about the nozzle 25 when the valve 8 is opened will result in a withdrawal of substantially all water within the reservoir. Little or no water, therefore, will be found within the reservoir as long as there is a flow of water upwardly through the riser.

It is important to note that the interior of the reservoir 40 is never exposed to water other than the potable water which may drain from the riser 32, wherefore it may be accurately stated that the reservoir forms part of the potable water supply line. Regardless of how often water may enter and leave the reservoir 40, it will never carry contamination or pollution into the operating elements of the hydrant head or supply line, so long as the water coming through the fresh water supply line I is pure and clean. The reservoir and ejector, like the valve 8, are

4 buried in the earth below the frost line so as to prevent freezing during the winter season.

To produce a serviceable and durable structure, omitting the objectionable features of a service box at platform level, a heavy plate 42 is arranged to support the riser 32 and the casin I! of the valve structure in spaced relationship approximately at ground or platform level. For additional support, the valve body 9 may be welded or otherwise fixed to the top of the reservoir, as indicated at 43 in Fig. 1. It may here be noted that the riser 32 and the casing l'l may extend to any desired elevation above ground or platform level.

The hydrant head 6, as detailed in Figs. 2 and 3, comprises a hollow casting of substantially elbow shape, the ports 45 and 33 of which are internally threaded to receive the upper threaded end of the riser 32 and the hose coupling member 35, respectively. A cover member 46 surmounts the head, being secured thereon by means of bolts 41 extending through laterally disposed ears A8 and 43, which may be formed integrally with the cover and head, respectively. The vertical passage 56 within the integral extension 5I of the head 6, together with the cored channel 52 in the head, constitutes part of a vacuum breaker which provides exceedingly free communication between the outside atmosphere and the interior 53 of the hydrant head. The lower end 54 of the passage 50 may be plugged, as at 55 of Fig. l, for disabling the vacuum breaker during moderate weather when the service fixture is in no danger of freezing.

Within the hydrant head 6 is a cage or chamber 56, in which is confined a vertically shiftable valve member, preferably in the form of a ball '51, the function of this ball being to close or substantially close the vacuum breaker passages when the ball is elevated by pressure of water within the head, and to provide for free and ample intake of air through the same passages when the ball is lowered, with water pressure in the head at atmospheric or sub-atmospheric value. Depending upon the nature or character of the ball 51, and/or one of its seats, the water service fixture can be adapted for dififerent types operation which are suitable to various climatic conditions. For example. in very cold climates it will be desirable to arrange for more or less leakage of water past the ball and to the exterior of the fixture, through the vacuum breaker passages 52 and 50, in order to avoid ice formation in the head during use of the fixture; whereas in climates where freezing is only mild and occasional, the ball valve arrangement may be such as to permit no leakage of the character mentioned. In either case, however, the ball must operate to permit a free and voluminous intake of air through the passages 50 and 52 whenever the pressure of water in the head is relieved by reason of the manual closing of main valve 8, in order to avoid back-siphonage of water from the hose or conduit 36.

Normally, or when the fixture is inoperative, ball 51 rests. upon spaced stops or lugs 59 at the lower end of the cage, to permit free and unrestricted air communication between the' interior of the head and the outside atmosphere, through passages 52 and 50. On the other hand, pressure of water introduced into the head through the riser elevates the ball into contact with an upper annular seat 63, to seal or substantially seal said passages against leakage of water from the interior of the head. The ball is -irr td shift from one position to tlie omendepending on the presence or' abs'en'ce of waten pressure within the head chamber 532 As was previously mentioned, it may be desirable in "very cold climates-,to arrange'fdr' more or less; "leakage of water" past the ball valve while the "fixture is in use, to avoid formation of ice This may-beacctmknurlin'g; grooving,- pitting; or otherwise, so that" theball may never seat perfectly upon the annu Y Under such circurfi-' stances, pressure of water maintaining the ball-" in; elevated position will 1 be relievedpartially through tlie passageway' 52; to an" extent deter mined 'bythe. degree to which theouterf'surface of jthefba'll hasbe'en roughened or mutilated." In tlieialtern'ative form illustrated" by Fig. 2, the ball 51' has a smooth" outer surface "to seat upon the annular edge 63 of port 6 i, and thedesir'ed A aniount'of' leakage pastthe ball is'obtained by providing oneor'more notches 65 intheannular edge or seat 63;" The annular seat isformeduponcappr cover '45," as" shown, and'serves' to confine the ball within" the chamber 56; the seat being disposed insubstantial axial-alignment with" the vertical axis of the chamber and at an elevation f abovefthe ball. It is necessary,of"course,"-tha-t the "diameter of the seat 53' shall be substantially smaller than the diameter of the'ball; whichin turn is substantially smaller in diameterth'an the diameter of" chamber 56. The'space' aboutthe ball provides for an ample circulation-of air and water thereabout. c

From the foregoing it will be understood that as the main "valve' llis opened, pressure of water' inflthe hydrant head interior will force'the ball 51 upward to imperfectly close the port-"6 I asindicated by the broken lines 62 upon-Fig. 2. Leak age of water past the ball; either by "the: method of Fig; 2 or that suggested'byFig. 4; willprevent' the ball from freezing-to its seat 63' in extremely 1 cold weather. This leakage may have to be appreciable in very cold climates, and will continue as long as the main'valve is'open'. Upon closing of themain valve, theball will drop'on'to the spaced lugs 59, permitting a voluminous rush of air to enter the hydrant head through the vacuum breaker passages B52, for precluding backsiphonage of water from hose into the'riser 32 As the riserwater gravitate's into the "reservoir' t 0; it is importantt'nat water from the hose be'precluded from siphoning back into the'riser, as the capacity of reservoir' iil preferablyiis limited and therefore will not accommodate a" much reater amount'of water than that of the riser; In other'words, theobject'is to preclude 'thepos sibility of water filling the reservoir and standing in the riser above the frost line.

The foregcingamply explains the operationbf the water seryice fiitureiin either-of the forms illustrated by Figs .'2 and 4, wherein leakage of water from the head is provided for to preclude freezing while the fixture is operating. Assuming now that one of the fixtures is to be installed in a mild climate where freezing is infrequent and of short duration, it may be considered unnecessary to provide for leakage about the ball. Under such circumstances, therefore, a perfectly smooth surfaced ball such as is shown at 573 of Fig. 5, would be incorporated as a substitute for the roughened ball 51A of Fig. 4. A ball such as 51B resting against the continuous annular seat 63 oi -153E5 4; wi'll permit-little or no leakage water through 'the' vacuum brea'ker pas'sag u H and-502 As another alternative a ball'sucli'as'til'c maybe substituted in the assembly, this bein'g' a ball ofrubber or other material having resilientor rubber-like qualities. The resilient ball may befoun'deff'ective in all climates, including"tliose' which are severely cold, since the' resiliency" thereof will tend to' dislodge the ball froni 'theupper annular seat 63 as soon as-pr essure :offi water has been relieved within the head by (tics-s: ing the main valve '8. By the very nature of the resilient ball material, it will resist freezing and adherence '-to' the annular seat 63. Intfioth'er words;-the ball filC will-be of-a material wh'icmi an-insulator'forheat and cold The several balls; 51, 51A'afnd 57B likewise may be 'ofan insulating. material such as fiber, hard rubber, or anyof the r modern'plastics.' It ls-immaterial to theiopera.-'

tion of the fixture; whether the balls". normallyn float or sink in water. The" outer. surface of ball ETC'prefe'rably is smooth or has a skin rendering; it" impervious to water, unless such" ball is' toibe used for the leakagepurposes:lndicated by :Fi'gs's 2 and 4.

Aswas previously stated herein, 'it'isimporta'nt that the ball valve when lowered, shall permit' az' copious-intake of air through passages 5ll' andi52" for vacuum-breaking The-cage chamber 56 ac cordinglyis made amply large, and the lugs. 59 which-normally support the'ball are so spaced and dimensioned as to permit substantial inflow' of" air to-chamber 53 of the head. In order that thei ball may'not freeze to the lugs 59-whilethe fixture? isnot in use, the lugs are provided withsharpz corners 58 in order'to reduce-to a minimum the points of contact on the surface of the ball The lugs-59- accordingly are made substantially-tr?" angular in cross-section as-showni- A- furtherpurpose in providinglugs which are'triang'ularin shape, is to avoid the formation of flat surfaceson which water might stand and subsequently freeze, and'therebyinterfere with fr'ee shifting movement of the ball; From the -foregoingp it will readily be --appreciated that as the wateri-i' supply is turned off at the main valve 8,:wate'r n the chambers 53 and 55 will gravitate throughthe riser 32 and into the reservoir 5o, andany- .wa'ter onthe' lugs 59 will beshed; promptly- -from'i'the upwardly converging sidewalls of the triangular" lugs; The lugs may be integral with the head casting." M

It mayhere bestatedthat in "a fixture" oil-the kind herein" referred to'," it is po'ssible toeffect rapid'vibration of' the shiftable ball'by gaug'ing the diameter of chamber 55tdthediamet'er? i the "ball experimentally; to produce a form-of water hammer capable of keeping the ball in' motion'a's long as a substantially constant pressure of water is 'm'aintainedwithin' the head chamber 53,- By takingadva'ntage of-this phenomenon the producer of "the" fixture "may obtain su 'activitybffthe ball within" its cage; as will effe tively' preclude "the formatiodhf ice about-the annular seat 63. A fixture so constructed will automatically relieve some portion of the water pressure from head chamber 53, permitting a desired discharge through the vacuum breaker discharge passages 52 and 50.

During the milder seasons of the year when freezing presents no problem to the operation of the fixture, the vacuum breaker passages 50 and 52 may be closed as by means of a plug 55, and in that event the main valve 8 will remain open to maintain pressure of water within the entire fixture, including the hose 36, which hose at its far end will carry a valved nozzle similar to that generally applied to gasoline dispensing pump hoses. Under such circumstances, flow of water from the fixture will be controlled at the free end of hose 36, by the attendant or operator using the fixture. The presence of plug 55 closing the vacuum breaker passages, renders the ball valve arrangement inoperative during the summer season. When not in use, the hose may be permitted to rest upon the ground, generally at a lower elevation than the head of the fixture.

As an aid to preventing freezing of any ball upon its seat 63 during use of the fixture, some form of yielding means such as a compression spring S (Fig. l), may be desirable to urge the ball from its seat when pressure is absent from the head.

For purposes of sanitation and anti pollution, a hood is furnished as indicated at 69 of Figs. 1 and 2. A pair of spaced parallel lips 61, to form a mouth 64, may be cast integrally with the head 6 and provided with a transverse bore to receive a hinge pin or bolt 68' for hingedly mounting the hood 69 so that it may be raised and lowered, as shown by Figs. 2 and 1, respectively. The hood is hollow as indicated, and is sufficiently wide to pass over the hose coupling member 35 when lowered to the covering position of Fig. 1. A frangible neck 10, integral with the hood, carries a perforate lug H through which the pin or bolt 68 passes. The lower portion of the mouth 64 may be sloped as indicated at T2, while the upper portion may be brought forwardly to form an abutment I3, against which the neck 10 of the hood may abut in limiting its upward movement, so that it may not tilt upwardly beyond dead center and thereby remain in open position. The hood 69,therefore, is self-closing, and when the hose 36 is attached to the hydrant as in Fig. 2, the hood rests upon the hose at '35, where the leading edge 16 of the hood is arcuately cut away to fit the curvature of the head when closed, as in Fig. 1. The slope 12 in the mouth 64, prevents the accumulation of dirt and ice therein, thereby insuring free pivotal movement of the lug II at all times.

Along both sides of the head 6 are formed the laterally extending rib sections 11 and 18, which provide abutments for the edge portions 19 and 80 of the hood when lowered to the Fig. 1 position. As a result of this fitting of the hood 69 to the head 6, a substantial closure is effected for protecting the coupling member 35 when not in use, so that contaminating matter from the toilet hoppers of passing cars may not reach the vital parts of the hydrant head and induce pollution of the fresh water supply line which serves it.

The construction is foolproof, inexpensive, and easy to install and maintain, with a resultant savingin expense to the user. The device is sturdy and durable, and will resist ordinary abuse to the utmost for year round service. No drainage need be provided for, either to the ground or to a sewer,

8 thus eliminating the possibility of pollution through direct or indirect cross connections with contaminated sources.

It is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the structural details of the device, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A sanitary vacuum-breaking head for water service fixtures, comprising a body portion, a cover portion and a hood, said body portion including an inlet port and an outlet port interconnected by a conduit, a vacuum breaker passage in said body disposed between said inlet and discharge ports and communicating between the interior of said conduit and a vent port, said cover portion including a vacuum breaker passage one end of which terminates in a valve seat complementary to the vent port of said body portion, the other end of which is in communication with the atmosphere, an interferring member disposed in the vent port movable toward and from said seat in response to the presence or absence of fluid under pressure within said head, means operable for removably securing said cover to said head, said cover member being constructed and arranged to overlie a portion of said body in the region of the outlet port, said hood including a frangible neck portion terminating in a boss pivotally secured to said cover portion for controlling access to said outlet port.

2. A sanitary vacuum breaking head for water service fixtures, comprising a body portion including inlet and outlet ports, and a vacuum breaker passageway, a cover member secured to and carried by said body portion, said cover including a vacuum breaker passageway constructed and arranged to connect the vacuum breaker passageway of said body portion with the atmosphere, and a hood pivotally secured to said cover, said hood being constructed and arranged to normally assume a lowered position in housing relationship with said outlet port.

THOMAS E. BART.

REFERENCES SITE!) The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 672,415 Dodge Apr. 16, 1901 1,349,062 Goldberg Aug. 10, 1920 1,756,976 Ehlers May 6, 1930 1,788,358 Goerg June 6, 1931 1,896,528 Strong Feb. 7, 1933 2,004,455 Woolley June 11, 1935 2,545,911 Bart Mar. 20, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 7,520 Germany of 1879 9,043 Austria of 1902 

